The Music of the Night
by LeMistressV
Summary: CHAPTER 3 UP! Based on the Broadway show Phantom of the Opera...Cloud is a tortured soul, neglected and unwanted in the world, who seeks for someone to love him. But when he falls for the lovely Tifa, will she return his love?
1. Memoirs

The Music of the Night

By: LeMistressV

Disclaimer: This story is based on the Broadway Musical "Phantom of the Opera". I do not own the characters or the songs, so please don't sue.

Um…this is in an alternate universe kind of story, so if you don't really like this kind of stuff, don't flame.

Please no flames! You have been warned.

Chapter 1

Memoirs

A crowd huddled near the old and abandoned mansion as a young woman lifted a gavel into the air. "Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the old Shinra Mansion, once known as the greatest opera house in the world! Come closer, I've got plenty of merchandise that might catch your eye," the young auctioneer cried out clearly. Turning her back for a moment to retrieve another item, she smiled mysteriously.

The crowd murmured in hushed tones, doubting that the young girl was telling the truth.

Yuffie brought out a small bow and held it up towards the crowd. "Observe!"

"What are you crazy? That's just a box!" someone jeered.

Yuffie shook her head as she pounded her gavel in order to silence the doubting crowd. "Ladies and gentlemen, do you not realize what I hold in my hand?" Without waiting for an answer she continued, "This is the genuine music box that was rumored to magically play by itself without anyone winding it. I assure you, it's the real thing, AND it still works!"

The crowd continued to jeer at the auctioneer, continuing to doubt her word.

"Alright then. I shall show you!" Yuffie shouted, carefully winding the music box. Suddenly, a haunting melody began to play softly, hushing and mesmerizing the crowd.

The black, velvet box slowly began to open, revealing a glass figurine appearing to be dancing as it slowly twirled in its place.

"…Slowly…gently," Yuffie said softly as the lovely, yet haunting music continued to play. "Night unfurls its splendor. Grasp it…sense it…tremulous and tender…" The girl's voice trailed off into a low whisper as the music began to fade and the box began to close. "These were the words of the haunting song the mysterious Phantom sang to his beloved."

Yuffie waited for the music box's effect on her audience to fade before announcing, "So, I'll start with a good bid of 50 Gil!"

The crowd went wild, trying to get a higher bid than the other in order to retrieve the valuable music box. Finally after the bid reached 150 Gil, it was sold to an old man named Rufus Shinra.

"Sold!" Yuffie exclaimed, pounding her gavel onto the stand. She carefully lifted the music box from its place and handed it to the old man.

Rufus studied the box for a moment, holding it with great care. Slowly, he winded the box and carefully listened to the beautiful melody again. "The Music of the Night. I remember well…She would often sing it to herself when she was alone in her room," he said softly to himself. He carefully studied the glass figurine and smiled. "It looks exactly like her…"

Without realizing it, Rufus began to hum the melody softly as he remembered the words to the song. He closed his eyes as he remembered the past, when he once again saw his beloved. "…Slowly…gently…Night unfurls its splendor. Grasp it…sense it…tremulous and tender…" 

Author: Sooooooooo, what do you think so far? Questions? Comments? Reviews would be nice!


	2. Forty Years Ago

Chapter 2

Forty Years Ago

::After a long period of debating with myself, I have decided to not exactly follow the plot of Phantom of the Opera. Meaning that whatever happened in the play won't exactly happen in my story, since I really didn't like the ending to it.::

A large carriage hauled by two large, yellow chocobos stopped abruptly in front of a gigantic opera house. Instantly, the carriage door flew open, revealing a large man dressed in green. The man took a look around at the scene before him before stepping outside the carriage, followed by two men dressed in dark suits.

"This is it Sir Heidegger. The newly built opera house," a man with dark hair said, approaching the guests.

The man dressed in green, also known as Heidegger glanced at the opera house and nodded. "Here, darling, let me help you," he said, turning towards the carriage and helping a woman out of the carriage.

The woman glanced around curiously at her surroundings before carefully stepping out of the carriage. Her lovely, yet cruel face held a tight smile as she spoke. "Oh, darling, it's absolutely charming!"

Heidegger chuckled as he placed his arm around her shoulders. "I'm glad you like it. Because this is where you and I will truly make ourselves known to the world! And you, my dear, are going to be our star! Think of it…Madame Scarlotta Pulaski and Sir Heidegger Piangi (I had to make up the last names since I didn't know them), the greatest opera singers ever!" he said excitedly.

Scarlet smiled as she relished the thought in her head.

The two men behind Heidegger stepped up towards the man who had greeted them. "Mr. Tseng, it's a pleasure to meet you again."

Tseng shook both men's hands and nodded. "Ah, yes, I remember the two of you. Mr. Reno. Mr. Rude, welcome."

Reno raised a hand towards Heidegger. "This is Sir Heidegger Piangi, the great opera singer back at Junon Harbor," he introduced.

Tseng nodded as he shook hands with the famous opera singer. "It is an honor to meet you, Sir Heidegger."

Heidegger nodded silently, shaking Tseng's hand.

"And this of course is the lovely Madame Scarlotta Pulaski, the world famous diva around," Reno added, glancing at Scarlet.

Scarlet beamed with pride, showing no signs of meekness. "Pleasure. And by the way, it's Scarlet, if you don't mind. Scarlotta is only what the little people should call me."

Tseng chuckled, kissing Scarlet's hand. "Always a pleasure to see you, Madame. I'm one of your biggest fans. I've been to all of your performances," he replied.

Again, Scarlet beamed with pride as she flashed her pearly white teeth in a large smile.

Rude lowered his shades, quietly studying the appearance of Shinra Mansion. "Care to show us around, Mr. Tseng?"

Tseng nodded. "No trouble at all. Please follow me," he replied, leading the new arrivals into the opera house.

Reno glanced behind him before entering the building, and cleared his throat. "Sir, what about the others?" he asked Heidegger.

"Oh let them be. They can catch up later," Scarlet answered haughtily, walking ahead.

*

Meanwhile, as the new arrivals toured through the opera house, a cloaked figure watched them carefully. He was cleverly hidden from the guests, preventing any of them to see him. Silently and carefully, he studied their appearances and listened carefully to their conversations above the ceiling.

"…This opera house is actually only a year old or two, and has never really been used. The ingenious founder has never been known, although it has been rumored that someone called…the Phantom of the Opera had built it," Tseng said, continuing to show the guests around Shinra Mansion.

"The Phantom of the Opera?" Scarlet asked out loud, scowling slightly.

"A bunch of rubbish to me," Heidegger grumbled, chewing on a few nuts.

"Well, yes of course," Tseng replied. "To everyone it seems ridiculous. I once have found it completely absurd…but of course, things did change my mind…"

"Things?" Scarlet asked, skeptically.

"Oh, none of these myths, Mr. Tseng. We don't need to listen to useless stories told to children," Heidegger snapped. "Besides, there's no such thing as a Phantom of the whatever you called it."

Tseng nodded. "Of course. But I'll leave that up to you to decide," he answered, continuing to walk ahead.

"Pay no attention to that rubbish, darling. Just focus on your singing," Heidegger whispered to Scarlet.

Scarlet just nodded and quietly followed Tseng to the next room.

As the guests walked to the next room, the figure silently followed through his secret passages, never losing sight of them…


	3. Tifa Lockhart

Chapter 3

Tifa Lockhart

"Ow!" Tifa yelped as heavy luggage bags landed on top of her. Sitting on the dusty ground, she kicked the bags off her sore legs and massaged them carefully.

"Hey, Tifa, you better hurry up with those bags. The diva isn't going to be pleased if they arrive late."

Tifa nodded, slowly getting up from the ground. Wiping beads of sweat off her forehead, she tiredly dragged the heavy bags towards Shinra Mansion. After a moment or so, she paused for a moment, admiring the structure of the newly built opera house.

"Whoa," a girl about Tifa's age yelped, almost bumping into Tifa. "Hey, need any help with that?" she asked, pointing to the luggage bags on the floor.

Tifa glanced at her best friend and nodded gratefully. "Thanks, Aeris," she said, stopping to catch her breath.

Aeris glanced up to examine the opera house's appearance before giving a satisfied nod. "It'll do. It's no Buckingham Palace, but I guess it's good enough."

"I think it's marvelous. I've never really been to any fancy opera houses like this before. Back at Junon, there were plenty of opera houses. But none as beautiful as this!" Tifa replied, continuing to admire its well-built structure. "Maybe someday I might even have my own spotlight," she muttered silently to herself.

Aeris smiled at her friend's wish. "Tifa, as much as I support you, you know that would be impossible. You _know_ Scarlotta gets all the main parts in _every_ show we perform. Although…I wish she'd break a leg or something so you'll have to take her place," she said supportively.

Tifa smiled. "No biggy. Besides, Scarlotta's an old maid. And I'm still bright and energetic as ever. I think I've got a shot, don't you think?" she replied, trying to be positive.

Aeris nodded, smiling in agreement. But before she could reply, there was a loud screeching.

"LOCKHART! WHERE ARE MY BAGS?" Scarlet screeched at the top of her lungs.

The two friends cringed at the sound of Scarlet's voice. "Ugh, we better get going, before Little Miss Diva throws another one of her fits," Tifa said, picking up the luggage and bringing them to the opera house.

Aeris nodded, picking up the rest of the bags and following Tifa inside Shinra Mansion.

*

"No, no! You're doing it all wrong!" Elena snapped, placing her hands on her hips. In frustration she scowled at the dancers before her, clicking her tongue at them in disgrace. "You call that dancing? It's pathetic! You all look like a bunch of buffoons in skirts. I want to see that routine again!"

Aeris and the other dancers groaned. Again they performed their routine, trying their best to please the dance teacher.

Aeris, the star dancer, began to lead the dancing girls into formation. After doing a sequence of movements in wave-like patterns, Aeris gracefully moved her way towards the middle, performing a perfect pirouette. Followed by the spinning, the lovely dancer hopped on her tiptoes, raising her hands above her head as she raised one foot on her knee. Aeris then quickly spread her arms wide open to her side, placing her foot down behind her other. Without warning, she suddenly jumped into the air with grace, almost as if she were floating. Quickly after every jump she performed, she switched the foot in front of her to the back.

Finally, the music began to reach its climax, causing Aeris to pirouette again as she moved farther back towards the other dancers. She then joined the other dancers in their movements, as the music began to reach its end. At last, the music ended to the dancers' relief.

Elena studied the dancers for a moment in their positions. Finally after a few seconds she finally nodded her head in approval, although her face held a stern look. "That'll do for today. Alright, girls, practice is over," she said, clapping her hands to break them from their positions.

The dancers sighed in relief as they quickly left the stage in order to retire to their rooms.

Aeris wiped beads of sweat off her forehead as she headed towards Tifa, who was watching the whole dance practice.

Tifa clapped cheerfully as Aeris took a seat next to her. "You were great. I don't see what Elena was so frustrated about," she said, lightly punching her friend on the shoulder.

Aeris grinned as she took a long drink from a glass of water. "That's Elena for you. She's a crazed perfectionist. One small mistake and the world is over for her," she replied.

The girls stayed silent for a moment, thinking to themselves.

"Hey, I see that old witch didn't give you any of her chores today," Aeris finally said, breaking the silence.

"Huh? Oh, you mean Scarlotta. Yeah, luckily, she and Heidegger are out practicing their lines before coming up for practice. So that gives me time off," Tifa replied, stretching her arms over her head.

Again there was an awkward silence between the two. Finally Aeris gave a mischievous grin and tapped Tifa on the shoulder. "Hey, I think we've got a few extra hours on our hands. What do you say we explore the place?" she suggested, her eyes twinkling with interest.

Tifa looked doubtful. "I don't know…it is an old opera house. We could easily get lost. And besides, haven't you heard the rumor? They say that there's some kind of ghost haunting the place. What if it's true?"

Aeris smiled. "Honestly, do believe every rumor you hear? And anyway, a rumor's just a rumor," she pointed out logically. She grasped Tifa's hand and pulled her up from the bench. "Don't worry, we won't get lost. I snatched a copy of a map of this place off the ground when Mr. Tseng dropped it. I know where we're going," the dancer added, literally dragging Tifa with her.

"But, Aeris, what if it's not safe? What if something terrible happens?" Tifa grumbled, reluctantly following her best friend.

Aeris rolled her eyes, heading towards a pair of stairs. "Oh, Tifa, what are so afraid of?" she grumbled. "Honestly, I thought you were the adventurous one?"

"Yeah, well I don't go poking around something I have no idea about," Tifa grumbled, having no choice but to run after Aeris.

After reaching the very top of the stairs, the two girls rested for a moment, exhausted from the long run up the spiraling staircase. When the brief moment was up, Aeris curiously peered through her surroundings. "Wish I thought to bring a torch with me. I didn't expect it to be that dark."

Tifa squinted into the darkness, trying to make anything out of it. With reaching hands, she groped into the darkness. "Hey, I think I've found something," she whispered, feeling a small knob in her hand.

"What is it?"

"It's…it's a door, I think," Tifa replied, slowly turning the knob.

It took a moment or so before Aeris placed her hand on her best friend's shoulder. "Oh!" she gasped, tripping over something. Sorry about that." She squinted into the darkness, realizing Tifa stopped turning the knob. "What's wrong? Turn the knob."

Nodding, Tifa started to turn the knob slowly, trying to calm her nerves. After hearing a small click, she cautiously entered the room, followed by her friend. "Can you see anything?" Tifa asked, slowly making her way in the room.

The Materia on tied on Aeris' ribbon began to illuminate a green glow, dimly lighting the room. Aeris looked around, still holding onto her friend. "Looks like an old music room to me," she whispered softly into Tifa's ear.

A shiver ran down Tifa's spine as she looked around the dimly lit room. Her skin felt prickly from the all the goose bumps she had been feeling. As she slowly made her way forward, she caught a glimpse of something dark move within the shadows. She stopped moving abruptly, as she saw the swift movement again. "A…Aeris…d…did you…see that?" she whispered, beginning to feel a pair of burning eyes on her.

Her friend frowned. "See what? I didn't see anything. What did you see?"

There was a small growling noise coming from a corner. Then afterwards, the faint sound of the organ playing could be heard.

"W..w…what is that?" Aeris murmured, her grip tightening on Tifa's shoulder.

Tifa pointed towards the shadows. "T…there…"

Aeris slowly turned to look at what her friend was pointing at…until…

"BOO!!!"

Aeris screamed at the top of her lungs as she felt something land on her shoulder. Tifa screamed as well, her arms grabbing Aeris and squeezing her in fear.

There was a loud chuckle as a plump man held up a candle to the girl's faces.

Aeris quickly recognized the face and stopped screaming. "Palmer!" she gasped in relief. Suddenly her face turned from relief to anger. "That wasn't very funny!!!!"

Tifa, who was hugging Aeris tightly, peered out from behind her friend. "Palmer! What are _you_ doing here?" she inquired, trying to calm her beating heart.

Palmer chuckled heartily. "I heard noises coming from up here and decided to investigate. It's not safe for pretty young ladies like you to be wandering her by yourselves. Especially without a light. It's dangerous up here," he warned.

"Dangerous, what could be so dangerous about this place?" Aeris asked, trying to hide the worry in her voice.

Palmer chuckled again. "Well, they say that someone terrifying used to live here. A freak, they would say. They said that he killed so many people and hid their bodies up here, leaving them hanging. Some who dwindled here never made it out…alive. Of course their bodies turned up a few weeks later," he replied.

At this Aeris scowled again. "Oh really? Is that a fact or is that another one of your stories, Palmer?" she demanded, beginning to walk out of the room.

Palmer shrugged, following Aeris out of the room. "Alright, you don't have to believe me."

Tifa headed towards the door, following Palmer out. But as she made it to the doorframe, she felt burning eyes staring at her again. Shivering, she whirled around but found nothing. Sighing in relief, she ran out of the door, unaware of a figure standing a few feet behind her.

Yay! Another chapter completed! Tell what you all think!


End file.
